Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn has called on insurance companies in Guyana to be more involved in advocating for road safety since according to him, they will benefit too.
The Minister, while making an address at an event on Friday, implored the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to always invite insurance companies to road safety events so that they too can play a part in the various initiatives.
“I keep saying that they should have an interest in the reduction in road accidents and road deaths. It goes to their bottom line; it goes to their pocketbooks. They could make more money, and they can take some of that money and put it in supporting road safety,” he explained.
He added that they must be on their cases to ensure that they are a part of more, if not all planned events.
“…we want them represented and fully involved, and fully working with us on these issues…it would go to reducing the cost of hospitalisations and all the other things,” he said.
Recent statistics of road accidents and fatalities in Guyana resulting from them are very worrying. The social and economic impact of these accidents on families and the nation at large cannot be overemphasised, according to officials.
One of the least heard among the list of those who bear the brunt of these accidents are the insurance companies.
When accidents occur, insurance companies will have to undertake a contractual duty of paying compensations and reimbursing for medical expenses and other costs associated with these accidents.
They deal with the injured victims and families of those who unfortunately die through these accidents.
As such, Minister Benn further encouraged that the local companies adopt measures to ensure the safety of their clients and society at large by encouraging and rewarding responsible driving behaviours.
For the year so far, there were 20 fatal accidents with 16 deaths compared to last year with 24 fatal accidents with 25 deaths.
Since 2015, the country has seen over 100 accidents per year, however, for this year, there has been a 30 per cent decrease in accidents, but a 4 per cent increase in deaths. As such, several systems have been put in place to curb this issue.
